Cheese Database

Puzzone di Moena vs Taleggio

Puzzone di Moena

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Washed rind
Rind
Washed rind
Country
Italy
Place
Moena
Status
PDO

Puzzone di Moena is a semi-hard washed rind cheese from Italy, and the name is protected. It is made from raw cow's milk, pressed, and washed while it ages, so the rind turns from ochre toward reddish and feels slightly greasy. The paste is pale straw to light yellow, with small or medium eyes. The smell is strong and penetrating, which is why the Italian name points to a stink. The taste is robust and lightly bitter, and the Ladin name Spretz Tzaorì means a tasty pressed cheese.

Taleggio, field guide plate
Taleggio, photographed

Taleggio

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-soft
Type
Washed rind
Rind
Washed rind
Country
Italy
Place
Lombardy
Status
PDO

Taleggio is a square washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Lombardy, and a protected name. It is named for Val Taleggio, in the mountains north of Bergamo.